A new beginning

Blair opened her bleary eyes slowly, her vision blurred as she stared at the unfamiliar surroundings around her. For a few seconds, she could not understand where she was or how she had gotten there. Her body felt heavy, almost as though every muscle had been drained of strength, and a dull ache pulsed through her head.

The faint smell of antiseptic filled her nose, while the soft beeping of a machine somewhere beside her reminded her that she was no longer lying helplessly on the roadside.

Then she heard a familiar voice.

“Blair, you’re awake.”

Her eyes shifted toward the sound, and her brows pulled together as she tried to see through the lingering blur.

That voice.

It was the same voice she had heard before losing consciousness. The woman who had found her on the road. The woman who had knelt beside her and told her to stay awake.

Blair swallowed, her throat painfully dry as she tried to move. Her arms felt weak, and when she attempted to lift herself slightly from the bed, a sharp ache travelled through her body. She winced and immediately stopped.

“Where am I?” she asked hoarsely.

“You’re in the hospital. How are you feeling?”

Blair slowly turned her head toward the woman sitting beside her.

It was a beautiful woman with long, thick hair that fell gracefully over her shoulders, framing a striking face with sharp yet feminine features. Her eyes were an unusual shade of blue, clear and captivating, while her pale skin appeared almost flawless beneath the soft hospital lights.

There was something about her presence that immediately commanded attention. She carried herself with the confidence of someone who had never needed to ask for permission to enter a room.

Even her clothes looked expensive, perfectly fitted and carefully chosen.

Blair studied her quietly, trying to understand why the woman seemed so familiar.

She had never met her before.

At least, she didn’t think she had.

““How are you feeling?” the woman asked again, her expression softening when Blair remained silent.

Blair studied her for a moment. There was something strangely gentle about the way the woman spoke to her, especially considering they were complete strangers.

Why was she being so kind to her?

Blair’s fingers curled slightly against the hospital sheets. She had no idea who this woman was. Yes, she had saved her life and brought her to the hospital, but that still didn’t explain why she seemed so concerned about her.

“I’ll go tell the doctor that you’re awake,” the woman said as she stood and turned toward the door.

“Wait.”

The woman’s hand paused on the door handle.

Blair’s gaze remained fixed on her.

“Who are you, and what do you want from me?”

There was suspicion in Blair’s voice, but beneath it was something more fragile. She had been betrayed too many times in too few days. Her husband, the woman she had called her sister, and even her own family had all turned their backs on her. Trust no longer came naturally to her.

The woman slowly turned around.

Instead of becoming offended, she gave Blair a small, understanding smile.

““My name is Arianna Devereaux,” the woman said. “I was on my way back to my pack when I noticed a crowd gathered along the road. I sent my men to find out what had happened, and they told me someone was lying unconscious by the roadside. I came to see for myself, and when I realized how badly you were hurt, I had them bring you here.”

Blair remained silent, her eyes never leaving Arianna’s face.

She wanted to believe her explanation, but she couldn’t.

For all she knew, Adrian had sent her.

Perhaps Margaret had found another way to get rid of her. Perhaps Sienna wanted to make sure Blair would never return to Nightveil Pack . The thought of any of them being behind this made Blair’s stomach twist.

She had trusted Adrian with everything she had.

He had repaid that trust by destroying her.

If the man she had loved with every part of herself could betray her so effortlessly, then what reason did she have to trust a complete stranger?

“I know you’re probably wondering whether I’m telling you the truth,” Arianna said, seemingly understanding the suspicion in Blair’s eyes.

“You don’t have to trust me yet, Blair,” she said calmly.

Blair’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“But you should know that I already know who you are,” Arianna continued. “I know about Adrian Blackwood. I know about your sister. And I know what happened between you and the Blackwood family.”

Blair’s expression changed immediately.

Her eyes widened slightly as she stared at the woman.

“How do you know about my husband and my sister?”

Arianna walked back toward the bed but stopped a few feet away, giving Blair enough space to feel safe.

“After I brought you here, I had some people look into what happened to you,” Arianna explained. “I wanted to know who you were and whether the people responsible for what happened to you might come looking for you. That was how I learned about Alpha Adrian, Margaret, and Sienna and your parents too…”

Blair’s jaw tightened at the mention of their names.

“I know what they did to you, Blair,” Arianna continued. “I know you were betrayed, humiliated, and abandoned by the people who were supposed to protect you. I don’t expect you to trust me immediately. But I am here because I want to help you.”

Blair’s chest tightened.

“And why would I accept your help?”

Her voice trembled despite her attempt to keep it steady.

“Who knows if you’re just like them?” Her eyes filled with tears, and she quickly blinked, refusing to let them fall. “Monsters. Every single one of them.”

The words broke out of her with a force she could no longer contain.

The image of Adrian and Sienna together flashed through her mind again.

Her husband’s hands on another woman and not just any woman but her sister. Adrain could possibly have every other woman out there but he chose his sister.

The memory struck so sharply that Blair’s breathing became uneven. She pressed a trembling hand against her chest, trying to slow the frantic beating of her heart.

She wanted to go back.

She wanted to find Adrian.

She wanted to tear apart everything he had built and make him feel even a fraction of the pain he had caused her.

Most of all, she wanted to make Sienna pay for betraying her.

Adrian had made her believe that he loved her. He had looked into her eyes and promised her a future, only to throw her away the moment someone else could give him what he wanted.

And because of him and his family, she had ended up in the hands of strangers.

The humiliation, the fear, the pain…it all crashed over her at once.

Her fingers tightened around the sheets until her knuckles turned pale.

She would never forgive them.

No matter how long it took, she would make them pay